


Blue scars

by Zarigueya



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Teenagers, Angst, Family Issues, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Minor Violence, Past AU, Pre-Canon, Pre-Overwatch, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Young Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-12
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-02-01 15:33:28
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12707799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zarigueya/pseuds/Zarigueya
Summary: The cowboy gaped at the sight of a figure rising from the steamy water. They had black long hair that was later pulled over a shoulder, revealing a slim figure and a naked back.Mccree squeezed the hat between his hands, swallowing past the lump on his throat, feeling his face warm."Oh."-Deadlock Gang starts working with the Shimada clan and a young Mccree arrives to Hanamura.





	1. Chapter 1

“Wake up, brat.”

Jesse slips from the seat where he was dozing off, slamming his face against the cold metallic floor. Before the pain, his numb mind registers the cackling coming from the group around him “that’s happens when you dare to close your eyes.” a warning comes, one that he shouldn’t have forget.

He squints his eyes open, blows a lock of hair that got on the way and outstretches a hand to grab his cowboy hat before getting up. "Thanks for wakin’ me up." He spats, cleaning the dirt on his face with his bare hands. He blinks slowly, realizing the vehicle had stopped moving. "Where are we?”

His boss thumbs the window of the vehicle and he catches a glimpse of what looks like pink petals floating on the air. The grey sky he saw before closing his eyes is replaced by a blue one, white clouds splattered across it.

The moment he steps out of their vehicle, he finds himself in the middle of a pristine street. Neon lights blinking everywhere, youngsters hanging out outside bright coloured clothing stores, people dressed in traditional clothes taking photos, ramen shops, arcades. The place is full of life and color, sparkled with a light cherry blossom rain.

“We arrived.” his boss rustles, fixing the hat over his head. “We are in Hanamura.”

* * *

 

At his 15 years, as a Deadlock gang’s member, Jesse Mccree knows more about the world than the average teenager. The group mainly move throughout the southwest United States, and he had the chance to cross the border every now and then. However this is the farthest he has been from ‘home’. He is used to deserts and tumbleweeds, not to cherry blossom trees and colorful neighborhoods.

“We gotta look for the Shimada’s castle.” The oldest member says, stretching the muscles of his neck, an ugly rose tattoed on his nape. Despites his size, his speaking voice is shrill --almost joyful-- which earned him the nickname of ‘Smiley’. Jesse hasn’t ever seen him smile though.

“That’s goin’ to be easy.” The boss --a man with long limbs and a wicked grin, nicknamed ‘ _devil_ ’-- points across the street, the gold skull ring on his bony fingers gleaming. The young cowboy follows the motion of his finger and whistles low, eyes looking up until they reach the top of the structure. Right in the middle of the door there are two tangled dragons carved on the surface.

The Shimada castle.  

“Let’s get goin’ then.” he orders and the rest of the small group follow him, walking several step behind. The group consist on five people: aside from smiley and the boss, Claude and Claud ‘the twins’ --two heavily built men with small brains--, and Jesse himself; just a few since the rest of the gang had to stay back home, keeping a track of the local business.

As far as Jesse knows, the whole idea of their meeting came from the Shimada family. Since both groups traffic with illicit weapons, they got more in common than they would like to admit; enough to make a deal between both organizations look profitable. For the Shimada’s that meant they could start taking an active role on occident, and for the Deadlocks’, that meant they could start working cross the border, _freely_ , having such powerful allies.

The security, several men in suit, allow them to enter through a double gate entry, not without sending nasty glares at them. The group of outlaws is used to attract those kind of looks –due their clothes, mannerism and the way they speak--, so they don’t take it to heart. Once they reach the inside and the gates close, an elder man appears and offered to show them the way to the lofty hall. He asks them first to leave their guns behind - _'you don't need them here, do not worry'_ \- and the boss agrees, a bit skeptical. The five of them drop their weapons, including Jesse, before following the old man. At least they are allowed to keep their shoes.

They are supossed to meet the head of the family that day, since it has been himself the one who invited them.

“This place has no end…” Jesse mutters after they start walking past the zen garden. Just by the entry there was a shrine with wooden red roofs, sheltering a huge bell in the middle of it. Jesse wonders what kind of sound it would make if he shot at it. They take the path on the right, entering another huge courtyard, not sure of where to look at. A path starts with two tōrō and leads to a pavillon on the middle, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. On the right there is a wooden bridge with a low ceiling and paper lanterns hanging from it. Jesse takes a look down the bridge, the breathtaken view of the whole territory making his mouth run dry. The place was insanely big to shelter a single family. 

“Keep the pot boilin’, Mccree.” His boss warns, looking at him over his shoulder as they walk past a wooden bridge. “They better not catch you wanderin’ around, I won’t come back to save your ass.”

Jesse stops his track, furrowed brow, fists clenched. He hates to be treated as a kid --despite being technically one--. When he joined the gang he did it under the same circumstances the rest of the group: leaving everything behind, ready and willing to get his hands dirty if necessary. They have no right to look down on him, as if he needs to be babysit. The gunslinger could perfectly take down anyone who step on his way --being there, done that--. However, being the youngest member there, it's hard for him to earn the respect he deserves.

They all needed to look down on someone, Jesse was perfect for this spot.

Clicking his tongue, the gunslinger turns around and decides to walk away from the group.

* * *

 

Security was everywhere but he easily manages to pass by some of the agents around the rock garden, and sneaks behind the shrine. There is a second courtyard below and he skillfully manages to reach the ground without breaking a leg.

“I’m tired.” He complained, using his hat to fan himself after a while walking. The red handkerchief around his neck is damped in sweat, the white shirt sticking on his back. It isn’t very hot, not as hot as in Texas, but he still needed to take a shower after spending  hours on that tiny vehicle, surrounded by a bunch of stinky, sweaty men.

A dripping sound comes to his ears and Jesse stops walking, blinking as his eyes go wide open. “Water?” The young cowboy walks faster, ducking around plants and scrubs and eventually reaching the source of the sound.

Oh.

He whistles, taking in the look of what seemed to be a natural hot spring in the middle of the courtyard. He knew the Shimada’s were wealthy but that was ridiculous.

At that point, Mcree considers taking off his clothes and getting in. After a long trip, a steamy hot bath is exactly what his tensed body needs. The only thing stopping him is realizing he isn’t alone.

The cowboy gaped at the sight of a figure rising from the steamy water. They had black long hair that was later pulled over a shoulder, revealing a slim figure and a naked back.

Mccree squeezed the hat between his hands, swallowing past the lump on his throat, feeling his face warm.

_Oh._

After months traveling with a bunch of sweaty men, that was definitely something worth to see.

Unconsciously moving forward, he steps over a branch that creaks when it breaks --not loud enough for him to hear it, but apparently loud enough for the person inside the water to notice his presence-.

_Dang._

Everything happens so fast then.

On a blink, a hand outstretches to grab a bow and knock arrow. Another blink and the figure has already turned around, the head of the arrow gleaming. He pales as his lips part, letting out a gasp when an arrow flies just next to his ear, leaving a cut on his cheek.

A long minute passes by, the guy in the water nocking another arrow towards him while a pale Jesse stays still, this time uncomfortably holding a hand on the air as he pulls a sheepishly smile.

“H-Howdy.”


	2. Chapter 2

Jesse manages to sneak back into the meeting shortly after they finish explaining what would be their role on the alliance ―earning a nasty look from his superiors― barely catching Soijiro Shimada’s eyes when he is done talking.

“You have really young members.”

“He is the youngest but I promise you he can do a man’s job.” His boss explains,  smacking a hand on his back as Jesse grit his teeth. Just a while ago they were making fun of him and now they got that attitude?

“I believe you. My oldest child must be around his age.” Soijiro beckons the people behind him and two small figures rushed next to him. “He is my oldest son Hanzo, and the younger is Genji.”

Jesse quickly recognizes the oldest as the person he ran into on the hot springs ―this time with more clothes on of course―, wearing a black hakama over a white kimono, the long hair tied into a loose ponytail.

After their meeting, the oldest son left without saying a word, probably guessing his father would require his presence.

The brothers politely bow, without looking directly at any of the men there. Jesse takes advantage from this and studies Hanzo’s face. Now being closer he can tell he isa boy: one with delicate features ―enough to be mistaken by a girl―.

The eyes that at the beginning look at the empty space move, finding Jesse. The cowboy rushes to look away, embarrassed for being caught staring. Again.

The meeting ends a few moments after. They are invited to stay on the Shimada’s territory, something that set off his alarms. Why a prestigious family would allow a bunch of outlaws on their homes? His boss explained there was a solid reason: they would spend more time outside.

* * *

 

The second time Jesse meets Hanzo he is back from their first mission, which was to deliver a load from the base in Hanamura to the border. It keep them away from Hanamura, since it lasted about two weeks. Jesse guesses that wasn’t more than a ‘test’ from the Shimada’s to see if they are worthy of their trust; the load consisted on a huge amount of money, aside from illegal merch. They probably expected the gang to run away with the money, which didn’t happen. Instead, they avoided the police forces and delivered the load without mishaps, surprising the head of the family.

When he is back, and after taking a cold shower and changing his dirty clothes, Jesse decides to sneak around to see if he could find something interesting to do since he is free. They got a place to sleep and food to eat, so that gave him _carte blanche_ to have fun on the mean time.

He hears the whistle of an arrow and finds the older brother training target shooting on one of the multiple training ranges that could be found inside the Shimada’s castle.

“Hey.” He casually says, rising a hand as he walked closer.

Hanzo doesn’t answer, barely looking at him by the corner of his eyes, nocking the arrow when his eyes are fixed back on the target. The head of the arrow gleams with the reflection of the sun before flying and hitting the red dot in the center of the target, making the same sound Jesse heard before.

“Do you need something?” Hanzo says after a while, giving Jesse finally the chance to hear his voice. It was husky and velvet, the Japanese accent making the words come out more elegantly than they were.

“It’s interestin’, I had to hide to practice shootin’” Jesse casually says, hands on his pockets, eyes looking around. “, must be nice to be able to shoot around without gettin’ scolded.” he looks back at Hanzo, a smile tugging from the corner of his mouth.

Just when he thinks he is going to be ignored again, the archer speaks.

“I thought people like you would live more freely.” There isn’t a trace of malice on his words, neither sneer. It is an honest opinion he had.

Jesse snorts, pulling from the red bandana around his neck. “What’s exactly people like me?”

“Westerns.”

“We do have rules, some of us don’t follow them though.” Jesse laughs, arms tangled over his chest. “Anyway, a gun is louder and more dangerous, I guess that’s why I wasn't allowed to use them.”

His words catch Hanzo’s attention and he is, for the first time, finally able to get a reaction aside from apathy.

“Arrows are as dangerous as bullets.” He states, turning to the cowboy.

“But not so fast.” Jesse insists, without moving an inch. He can tell Hanzo isn’t pleased by his words and _oh_ he is actually having fun.

“Are you looking down on bowmen?”  

“Not on purpose, doll face” the edges of his lips curved up, eyes winking “...you just happen to be a bit shorter.”

A tic on his eyebrow breaks the harmony of his factions, finally displaying an emotion. A smile spreads over the cowboy’s face: he can’t help thinking it was a pretty face.

The smile falls when Hanzo get closer, enough for him to notice how bushy his eyelashes are, the thin lips pressed on a tight line. The archer slowly rises a hand and Jesse unconsciously holds his breath when a fingertip touches his cheek.

“You talk too big for someone who almost pissed on their pants when we first met.” he mouthes, his velvet voice giving him goosebumps.

Hanzo drops his hand before he walks off “I will see you later, Jesse Mccree.”

As the archer leaves, an incredible flustered Jesse touches his own face, mouth dry and mind spinning. He slowly realizes Hanzo wasn’t randomly touching him, but caressing the place where his arrow left a mark; he also realizes Hanzo knew his name, which means he isn’t indifferent to his existence, since he had to ask someone about him.

The cowboy turns around and looks at the archer’s back, thinking he is going to have _so_ much fun at that place.

* * *

 

“Are you a real cowboy?” A tiny voice said from above, high pitched as the chirp of a bird.

Jesse tips his hat, flashing a smile. “‘f course I am.”

Soijiro Shimada have been blessed with a stunning older son, Jesse knew, but he also have another one. The younger brother, Genji, who is just 13 years old.

Just as Hanzo is composed and graceful, Genji is a whirlwind of energy. Even for their masters it was hard to keep a track of where he was, since thanks to his ninja training, he mastered the ability to sneak from his tutors to avoid classes and hide across the large territory that belongs to the Shimada’s clan.

That’s when Jesse and Genji meet, while he is hiding from a history class and Jesse takes a break before his next mission.

Sitting on the branch of a tree, swinging his feet on the air, Genji plays with a bird’s feather. “I wish I could do more fun stuff.” With his green hair and ninja clothes, Genji looks too casual to be Hanzo's brother, Jesse thinks. Even the way he speaks or moves is far from Hanzo’s manners and perfectly calculated steps. “Like, going on missions, just like you guys.”

“You are a bit younger for that.” Jesse explains, resting his back on the bark of the tree, while he read a _gravure_ magazine. “Enjoy your childhood.”

“You aren’t that old, though…” Genji puffs his cheeks. “You are around Hanzo’s age.”

“Am I?” Jesse whistles, realizing he didn’t notice. Hanzo looks younger than him, with his lack of facial hair and pretty features. The cowboy wonders if Hanzo would be ever able to grow a beard at all.

Jesse thinks he would look good with one.

“What are you reading?” Genji asks next to him.

“ _Holy m-_!” Jesse holds a hand over his chest, frightened by how fast the child moved. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Genji.” A third voice calls, making the cowboy drop the magazine and desperately look for the owner of said voice.

He finds Hanzo walking towards them, wearing one of his typical brows.

A smile draws on the cowboy’s face: meeting Hanzo makes him sincerely smile despite his cold attitude towards him.

“Hey.” He greetes joyfully, beaming with happiness.

“You got a class to finish, go back now.” Hanzo orders ―openly ignoring Jesse's greeting―, making Genji whine before he heavily stands up and cleaned the dust off his clothes. Despite not agreeing with the orders, he always listens to Hanzo.

“Jeez, brother, you should take a break as well…” The young ninja suggests, pouting his lips. Before leaving he turns to the cowboy, clasping his hands together, a big smile on his face. “Let me see that magazine later, ok?” he asks, then waving a hand and disappearing as fast as he appeared the first time.

“Uh, I…” Jesse babbles, realizing he is left alone with Hanzo, who bends down to pick said magazine. “No, wait, I never showed h-”

The young archer looks at the cover, then at Jesse, then back at the cover, arching his eyebrows.

“If you corrupt my brother, I’ll make sure you can’t enjoy this in _any_ way.” Hanzo states, dead serious, eyes going up to meet Mcree’s. “Am I clear?”

The thought makes the cowboy break out in a cold sweat, fearing for his lower parts.

“Clear as water, pumpkin.”

* * *

 

Something that Jesse openly misses about his hometown was the free and easy access to those little pleasures of life. The ones that came in the form of a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of liquor. Since he is still underage, it’s almost impossible to get that stuff around the neighborhood, so he had to ask his superiors. They wouldn’t be so kind though, making fun of him and his “baby face” before actually sharing a single cig.

He can’t wait to grow up.

However, the view is nice. The cherry blossoms trees, a clear blue sky above his head, the girls dressed in colorful _yukatas_ , who blushed when he smiled at them and tip his hat. It’s delightful. Every single corner of Hanamura had something to offer.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“This counts as a break for me.”

Perhaps his favorite place in the city is inside the Shimada castle, on the training grounds. After a mission, when his body is sore and eyes tired, nothing brought more peace to him than see Hanzo training. Being with the bow or sword, Hanzo mastered any technique his masters taught him. Jesse is particularly a fan of the way he handles the bow and arrow, but he also loves when he practices other martial arts as _aikido_.

Even when he is dampened in sweat, hair sticking to his face, his movements are flawless. He could watch him train the whole day and not get tired of it.

Hanzo sighs loudly, cleaning the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. “I like to practice in private.”

“Am I botherin’ you, darling? Thought you would like some company.” Jesse rests his cheek on his hand, looking at Hanzo fix his hair on a high ponytail. “You look pretty with your hair like that.”

“I didn’t ask you.” Hanzo groans, massaging his neck. He looks tired, which makes perfect sense: he woke up every single day at 5:30 am and spent the whole morning training, stopping just to eat, take short breaks to meditate, then back to training. He also had theoretical classes during the afternoon ―mathematics, history, science, art―. People could think that being born into a wealthy family meant an easy lifestyle, but Hanzo worked harder than anyone.

“Doesn’t it get in the way?” Jesse askes, genuinely curious. “It’s so long… someone could pull it and―.”

“I’m perfectly able to handle anyone despite the circumstances.” He restes his hands on his hips, lifting his chin. “Perhaps, do you think you could do it?”

The bickering between them had no end and though Jesse pursued a more _friendly_ relationship, he enjoys watching Hanzo get all grumpy.

“Maybe” Jesse shrugs, a smile pulling from his lips. He fixes he hat over his head “. I can try.”

“Go ahead.” Hanzo encourages. “Try to take me down.”

The cowboy makes the mistake to leave his spot, where he kept a respectful distance from Hanzo while he trains, and gets closer, trying to follow his little game. “Okay but if I hurt that pretty face of yours―”

Before he can even rise his hand, Hanzo grabs his arm, moved it to the side, lift, roll the arm all the way over and under, having Jesse's elbow tightly clamped underneath his arm.

“ _Ouch_ ” Jesse chuckles “. That was fast.”

“No, you are too slow.” He lets go, cleaning his hands on his uniform, as if he touched something sticky that he picked from the floor. “If you spent half of the time you waste watching me on training...”  

Jesse rubs his arm, realizing there is a red mark where Hanzo had his fingers. A smile tugs on his lips. “I could be as strong as you?”

 

Hanzo fixes a long lock of hair behind his ear, tilting his head to the side, the corner of his lips barely curving up.

“Not in a lifetime.”

Jesse realizes that’s the first time he saw something close to a smile on his face.

* * *

 

At some point on spring, after a couple of weeks staying in Hanamura, the activity on the neighborhood increases dramatically, just as the number of tourists who visit the place. The city became more lively, and noisy, with merchants displaying different new merch and announcing sales. Even the movement inside the Shimada’s castle increases, people going in and out, young girls putting up colorful decorations on the gates, young boys practicing what looks like some traditional dance; he even sees a group of men carrying around a huge ornamental dragon head that reminds him from the celebrations of new year.

“It’s because of the _matsuri_.” Genji explains, holding his cards in front of Jesse while he carefully picks one. “The cherry blossom festival; it starts on spring time: there is music and food and fireworks that light up the sky! Our family is an especial guest during the festival so my father takes very seriously our participation.”

“Sounds fun, hope I’m on the neighborhood by that time.” The cowboy steals a card and clicks his tongue. Bad pick. “Hey, shouldn’t you be training?”

“I will after we are done with this game.” Genji promises, stealing a card from Jesse's hand. A smile draws on his face. “Nice!”

“Your brother is going to kill me, you know?” Jesse sighs before taking a puff from his cigarette. Again, Genji has escaped his training ― which is weird: Genji hated theoretical classes but loved his ninja training― and decided to take advantage of Jesse’s free time, suggesting they should play cards.

It’s not like he doesn’t like to hang out with the younger brother, but Hanzo considered him a “bad influence” for his already problematic brother and the last thing Jesse wanted was to make Hanzo mad.

He actually wanted to get him to like him.

“He won’t, I’ll ask him not to.” Genji promises, humming a song.

“That doesn’t sound comfortin’…” Jesse looks at Genji over his cards. Well, since they are alone they could gossip, right? “Hey… what does your brother think about me?”

“What?” Tilting his face, Genji pulls a face. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing, I―” Jesse holds the cig between his fingers, clearing his throat, pulling off a carefree expression. “Just wonderin’ if he has mentioned me when he talks to you.”

“I do. I tell him to keep his distance from you.”

The cards slip his hands when he hears Hanzo talking behind him and his first reaction is to put down the cigarette.

“Hey, Han!” He greets, pulling off an innocent expression.

“Stop smoking near my brother, it will ruin his growth.” Hanzo warns, waving a hand in front of his face. “And yours as well.”

“As far as I know I’m taller than you.” Jesse dares to talk back, receiving a chop to the head.

“Brother could you please give me five more minutes?” Genji pleads, throwing a couple of puppy eyes at his older brother.

“I’m not father, I won’t fall for that.” Hanzo crosses his arms. “Go back.”

“Okay, then Jesse wins.” He informs, shaking his head. “Too bad, I though you wouldn’t like a Shimada losing.”

“... you were losing?” Hanzo arches his eyebrows, then blinking and shaking his head. “Nevermind.”

Despite his multiple gifts Hanzo owas extremely prideful, especially when the name of the family was on the line. He would never reject a challenge and Jesse sees in that a chance to spend time with him.

“You could take your brother’s place.” He suggests, wiggling his eyebrows.

Hanzo purses his lips, making a thoughtful _hmm_ sort of sound. He looks at his brother and back at the cowboy, who has a sheepish smile on his face. The older brother sighs and sits in front of Jesse. “On the meantime, Genji should go back to his classes.”

“That’s not fair! Genji whimpers, fisting his hands. “At least let me see how this end.”

“I’m going to defeat him, of course, there is no surprise in here.”

“I’ll let you know I’m pretty dang good at playing cards.” Jesse informs, “That’s where most of my money income comes from.”

“And here I was thinking you had an honest job.” Hanzo ironizes, rolling his eyes as the cowboy laughs.

Genji gets permission to stay until the match is over. To the brother’s surprise, Jesse wins. Unable to recognize a defeat, Hanzo asks for a rematch, which Jesse gladly acepts. He enjoys watching the archer struggle with the cards, pressing a thumb against his bottom lip, furrowed brow, confusion all over his face. He tries to come up with a strategy just to end up realizing the game also depend of luck. And Jesse happens to be extremely lucky.

“How do you do that?” He ends up asking after five matches… all of them lost.

“I practice. A lot.” Jesse shuffles the cards like a pro, making Genji’s eyes go wide open, jaw hanging open. “When I was a child I didn’t have any fancy stuff, and had to get it on my own.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t ask for anything this time.”

Jesse looks up at him, a smile on his face. “Next time I will.”

Genji finally goes back to apologize with his teachers and tries to catch up with his lessons. Hanzo stays with Jesse, who offers to share some tricks to get better at playing cards. Despite his initial disbelief ―Hanzo couldn’t understand why he would share his secrets since that gave him an advantage― he ends up staying with the cowboy. Jesse finds adorable how devoted he is to learn every single thing in life, always hunger for knowledge.

Just when the lights start to turn on, Hanzo realizes it’s getting dark.

The archer pales and looks at his own hands as if he had them stained with blood. “I can’t believe I skipped my own classes.”

“Come on, it ain’t going to kill you to take a break every now and then.” Jesse follows Hanzo when he stands up, trying to catch up. “Didn’t we have fun?”

“I can’t lose my time like this.”

“It’s not a big deal-”

“It is.” Hanzo grunts, rubbing his temples. “I have never skipped a single class, ever. Even when I was sick. What was I thinking?” He regrets, visible shaken, lowering his guard.

A pretty bad idea, considering the amount of people entering the castle during the preparations for the festival increased. It could have been easy for an enemy to sneak in between the staff helping with the preparations for the festival.

It was.

The archer completely misses the person hiding behind one of the pillars near the entry and the gleam of a rifle pointing at him. The one who caught the familiar glimpse of a gun was Jesse. He had had guns pointed at him several times, more than he could count ―call it experience or simple instincts―.

“Hanzo!”

Just as Jesse explained in the past: bullets were faster than arrows. By the time Hanzo turns to face the assassin, a bullet has already been shot, and hit a body. A body that isn’t his.

Blood drains from his face, lips parting when he sees the pained expression on the cowboy, his hand holding his side.

Jesse's knees give in as he presses a hand against the place where the bullet penetrated the flesh. Vision blurry, he barely can tell Hanzo’s face apart, lips moving as he listens him call his name again and again.

_“Jesse!”_

His last conscious thought is, that’s the first time Hanzo called by his first name.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The previous chapters have been edited!

Jesse wakes up to a cold, robotic voice. It takes him a moment --feeling lethargic -- to realize that it is an omnic’s voice. He also registers the beep of a heart monitor; it takes him another moment to realize the sound matches his heart beat.

 _“--some kind of poisonous substance, a vegetable alkaloid called aconitin. ” Jesse_ barely can understands what half of that means, less make out the context of the conversation. He stays stills, refusing to open his eyes completely, heavy lidded staring at the ceiling. “ _Fortunately, it wasn’t saxitoxin, we don’t count with the antidote in the current moment. Don’t worry, he will wake up soon._ ”

“He already is.”

It’s Hanzo’s voice which manages to trigger a response. Jesse slowly straightens, reaching a seating position, blinking and adjusting to the light. He recognizes Hanzo, his boss and an omnic wearing a white coat --a medic--.

“Hello.”

“Oh, he really is.” The omnic approaches the patient. “I expected him to wake up on an hour at least.” He checks the monitor and grabs a tablet, checking his vitals on the digital screen. “Pulse, body temperature, respiration rate and blood pressure are normal. How are you feeling?”

“...tired.” Jesse mumbles as the medic presses a cold thumb under his eyes and pulls the skin. The doctor makes a couple of simple questions: _‘what’s your name?’ ‘how old are you?’ ‘can you remember what happened?’._

“Excellent. The aconitin must be out of his system already since the symptoms disappear.” The omnic turns to Hanzo, who sits next to the bed. “We just need to administer a dose of analgesics every eight hours for a couple of days, in case the pain comes back.”

“’m _not_ feelin’ pain.”

“That’s because we already medicated you” the doctor explains, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world “. The poison causes a lot of pain, can’t you remember waking up screaming?”

The cowboy feels his face warm up, eyes shifting between the heavy gazes of his boss and Hanzo. “No.”

“You did” The omnic turns back to Hanzo “. if you excuse me, I must inform your father the patient is awake.”

“Go on. Thank you for your hard work.” Hanzo breaths, barely lookin at the doctor, eyes fixed on Jesse. Once the doctor leaves, he speaks again, authority on his voice. “I would like to talk to him in private, if it’s not a problem.”

His boss tilts his head, looks down at Hanzo, a fake smile spreading across his face. “As your order, _young lord_ .” he concedes, bowing his head, linking eyes with Jesse before leaving the room as well. A silent warning. _We’ll talk later._

Once the _shöji_ door closes with a loud thud, Hanzo approaches the bed and takes a sit on the chair next to it. “You aren’t feeling pain then?”

“Ah… no.” his eyes wander around the room “I ain’t on… a hospital--”

“We do not need to go to hospitals, we got our own staff of specialists to take care of us” he says, not really enthusiastic about that fact. Jesse understand, there is a lot of people who aren’t fond to omnics --the war is still a sensitive topic on the streets, even when it was over already--.

 

Hanzo rests his hands over his knees, fingers interlacing. He is wearing a black _kyudo-gi_ and blue hakama, hair tied down behind his shoulders; Jesse recalls he was wearing different clothes last night “. You do remember what happened.”

“The shooter” the cowboy scratches the back of his head “. Was it an assassin--?”

“Sent to kill me” Hanzo adds “. Or my brother, if he had the chance. My family got plenty enemies that got their eyes on the Shimada heirs.”

“Oh, that’s--” Jesse presses his lips together, shyly looking down and up again “-- I’m glad you didn’t get shot.”

“You got on the way.”

“Yeah.”

“You are a fool.”

Jesse gapes at Hanzo, eyebrows rising “For savin’ you?”

“No, you are mistaken.” Hanzo slowly stands up and bends over the bed, loose hair cascading over his shoulder. “You did not save me. What you did was get in the way of a bullet that wasn’t meant for you.”

“What?” Jesse shakes his head, despite the initial discomfort, just to make sure he isn’t mishearing “Why you sound like you are mad?”

A hands grabs his red handkerchief and pulls him closer; piercing black eyes made his pulse trigger, mouth run dry.

“I _am_ mad.” Hanzo spits, his face contorted with insane fury, a trembling hand clutching on his clothes. “Who do you think _you_ are? Why did you get in the way?”

“What the--?!” Jesse shakes off the hand, making the archer back off  “Are you--?! Do you want me to apologize for savin’ your ass?! Did you want to die?!”

“It is up to me how I die!”

Heaviness settles on his guts and he finds impossible to swallow past the tight knot on his throat. It _aches_ , it physically aches, way more than the bullet piercing his insides. He winces, grit his teeth and clenches a hand over his shirt.

 

“... _Fuck off_ ” he mutters under his breath.

“What?”

He kicks off the blankets and swings his feet out of the bed, eyes flinching when he feels a sharp stab on his side the moment he stands up. He first reels, shivers, presses a hand where he got shot. Jesse stands tall, takes a sharp breath and glares down at the archer, taking advantage of the several centimeters of difference between them, perfectly knowing it’s something that got under Hanzo’s skin and God he wants nothing more than that. “ _Fuck_ -off” he snarls, again “. I ain’t expecting a ‘thank you’ but I ain’t apologizing for what I did.”

“I didn’t need you to do that!”

“I don’t give a _shit_!” he groans, his deep voice bouncing on the thin walls “I ain’t apologizing, and lemme tell ya: you can be sure as hell I would do it again!”

Hanzo lifts his hand and Jesse shuts his eyes in reflex, expecting to get slapped, when the door opens.

“Hanzo.”

The cowboy squints his eyes open, turning to face the visitant, meeting the soft gaze of Hanzo’s father. The voice felt like a punch on the gut, at least that’s what Jesse can tell by the way he winces, leaving his hand fall.

 

“Yes, father?”

“Would you mind checking on the little sparrow? I’m afraid he ran away from his classes” The old man smiles, arms tangled across his chest “, _again_.”

“Father” Hanzo breaths, looking up at him through long eyelashes “, if you are here to--”

“My _suzume-chan_ , always hopping and flittering, from branch to branch” The man continues, eyes shut; he strokes his beard, humming “Your mother feared the day he broke his leg for not being careful enough when climbing trees.”

The words seem to wash his wrath away like a tide, the young wolf becoming docile. Hanzo nods and strolls towards the door, shoulders hunched, heavy lidded eyes; the firstborn granting his father’s desires as the obedient son he is, without sparing a glance on Jesse.

 

“I apologize if my son has been rude to you” Soijiro speaks, his voice soft, conciliatory. The man, which he last saw during the meeting between the gang and the Shimada’s, wears a long silky robe with embroidered dragons, hair short and beard trim; his steps are quiet when he moves, as if he is walking, gliding, barefoot, which explained how neither Hanzo or Jesse were able to tell he was outside “. And I apologize for the lack of security” he gestures the bed, a silent petition for Jesse to sit as he speaks “.The fact that you got injured means my men weren’t doing their job.”

“It’s not your fault, _sir_ , neither Hanzo’s” Jesse sits back at the hem of the bed “. Did ya--?” he bites his tongue “Were your men able to capture the intruder? He might come back and finish the job.”

“That won’t happen” Soijiro assures, lifting his chin, the proud stand of a lord: the lord of dragons “. Since he was already captured and executed by the person he attempted to kill.”

* * *

 

Jesse is able to leave the room after the conversation with Soijiro, being looking for the gang the first thing he does. The room quiets the moment Jesse steps in the facilities where they are allowed to stay inside Hanamura.

“Well, well… glad to have you back.” One of the twins says, playing with an old pocket knife.

“We missed you, no one to mess with.” The other adds, letting out a belly laugh.

His boss doesn’t say a word but cocks his head, pointing a chair next to him. Jesse silently takes a sit, guessing what he was going to say.

“The old man talked to you?”

“Yeah.” he answers, frowning “You know?”

“‘course, he asked me first. Apparently thinks I’m responsible for you.” He snorts, arms tangled across his chest  “Whaddaya say?”

“That’ll think about it.” His frow shuts up “I can’t answer without askin’ boss first, right?”

The devil nods, humming “Exactly.” he stomps his feet on the floor, rising on his soles “Before giving you permission, I wanna know what the heck happened last night.”

Jesse frowns “What are you talking about?”

“You _saved_ the shimada boy.” his boss looks around, hands on his hips, as if he couldn’t believe it “You think it’s not big deal? The fact that a deadlock gang member did that?”

“We ain’t heroes.” Smiley growls “Why acting like one?”

Stomach sinking, Jesse faces again the same question Hanzo made to him. Why did he do that? He struggles with the question, less defensive and a bit embarrassed. Yes, they weren’t heroes, they were scum.  

“I have no idea what you do on your free time and I give a shit about that.” The devil spit, pointing Jesse’s face “If you wanna spend your free time flutterin’ around the young lord, fine by me, fool around all you want. But if somethin’ happens to you, I would be missin’ people” he rubs his thumb and fingers together “. Not good for the business.”

“I know.” Jesse mumbles, conceding “I fucked up, I know now.”

“No, you don’t.” His boss laughs, perfectly reading Jesse’s expression “But hey, let’s look at the bright side of the situation: This guy here” His boss grabbed a hat and drop it over Jesse’s head “, got a nice offer: The old man asked him to take a look of the young lord while we are here.”

“What?” Claude looks at his brother “Why would he do that?”

“He could hire a bunch of bodyguards.”

“ _Because_ if someone is willin’ to save your ass for free, imagine all he would do if he gets _paid_ ” The devil explains, slamming a hand on Jesse’s back, making the young cowboy grit his teeth “. That’s probably what the old man thought.” he bends over, fisting his hand on Jesse’s hair, drawing a whine from his throat “of course he’s going to share the money with us, am I righ’?”

The young one squints his eyes open “‘course.”

“Such a good boy” he lets go “. I wonder what’s the pretty boy gonna think about it. He didn’t look so pleased.”

Jesse bit his tongue, refusing to admit he secretly expected the devil to reject the offer for him with some made up excuse.

If Hanzo didn’t slap him before, he certainly would once they met again.

* * *

 

“How are you feeling, Jesse?”

He can’t recall a single person who genuinely worried about him, even as a child. The nuns were kind to him, they were kind to all the children in the orphanage; yet, from time to time, when they thought you weren’t looking, he caught them staring with something very close to revulsion.

“Better” Jesse grins, bumping the fist offered to him“, thanks for askin’, pardner.”

Genji snickers and sits next to Jesse, legs hanging from the bridge. He opens a can and drinks a sip of cherry soda. “What are you doing outside?”

 

A group of tourists pass by under the high ground, holding cameras and taking pictures of the construction right in front of them while a guide explains to them the story behind it. The shimada castle is a popular sightseeing spot, and tourists would end up fascinated by the construction.

 

“I wanted some fresh air” Jesse's eyes follow the trace of a red balloon that escaped from a child’s hands. He grabs the clothes of the lady next to him, crying out loud the lost. The woman smiles, fixing a lock of hair behind her ear, crouching in front of her child to hold him on her arms. “. What are _you_ doin’ outside?”

He rolls his eyes. “I do go out all the time, Hanzo is the one that rather spend his free time training or meditating.” The young ninja offers Jesse a sip of his soda, which he rejects. “He is still mad at you.”

Jesse grunts, scratching the back of his head. Of course he knows, that’s exactly the reason he is outside the castle instead of following the archer around “No need to remind me.”

“You should just apologize.”

“What’s wrong with all of you?” The cowboy snaps, furrowed brow. Genji looks up at him with his big eyes, not a bit intimidated by Jesse’s severe face.

“You hurt his pride.” Genji says softly “And there is nothing the Shimada family protects more than his pride. Did you know the elders punished him after they found out you had to protect my brother? They are very severe. To them, it’s a matter of honor. And a life of dishonor isn’t worth to live it.”

Jesse shifts his eyes away, guts twisting.

“That’s bullshit.”

“That’s the bullshit my family believes in.”

He got a point and the cowboy knows it. Despite the dirty background and illegal business, the Shimadas were an honorable family.

Running a hand over his face, Jesse takes a sharp inhale and exhales through his nostrils “I ain’t apologizing, Genji, even if I hurt him. That would mean I regret getting in the way, and I don’t.”

“I know.” Genji traces the hem of the can with a finger; after a moment, almost shyly, he called: “Jesse?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you for protecting my brother.”

* * *

 

After wandering around for a while, he decides to meet Hanzo’s father and close the deal. The man seems pleased but not surprised. Soijiro then explain to him that two big celebrations were schedule during the following months, two big moments of vulnerability where enemies could strike. The first one is the cherry blossoms festival, the second one is the Shimada's brother birthday --Jesse makes a mental note to ask later the day--. During both events they hold big parties, inside and outside the castle; important people from all Japan attended to pay their respects, or fake loyalty. Even when the entry was restricted, after the incident, he recognizes there was a fail on his security measures. And even when he got several men stationated across the property, Hanzo and Genji were capable enough to avoid Soijiro’s watchful eye.

_My son disliked having people looking after him. Since you are around his age, it would be less uncomfortable for him to carry on his usual duties when you are around._

“ _You are wrong, old man_ ” Jesse thinks when he meets Hanzo, who barely looks at him --aware of his father’s orders “. _Right now, I’m the one who bothers him the most_.”

Genji later would confess Hanzo went crazy after his father told him Jesse dared to accept the offer. He didn’t only dishonored him by saving his life, but keep doing it by agreeing to look after him.

At that point, Jesse doesn't care. There is no way Hanzo could dislike him more.

Hanzo doesn't say a word to him during the first days. Jesse looks for him when he is training and keeps him company in silence, watching, taking in the image of the archer in his white robes, hair tied up, falling behind his back. When it gets dark, Hanzo leaves without sparing a look on him and goes back inside the castle to continue with his studies. They fall into a routine and while the slap or harsh words never come, Jesse can’t help feeling anxious.

The tension rises between them when, during his training, as Hanzo knocks an arrow --loose sleeve, leaving at sight part of his back-- Jesse catches a glimpse of the marks on his skin.

His stomach churns, remembering Genji’s words: _the elders were severe to him._

“Your back--”

 

He makes the terrible, _terrible_ mistake by letting the archer know he noticed them.

Hanzo throws a glance over his shoulder; a heavy and cold gaze that freezes Jesse on his spot. Thin lips part, Hanzo’s low, deep voice coming out, sending a shiver down his spine.

“Leave.”

That’s the first word Hanzo says to him after a week of remaining in total silence.

_Leave._

* * *

 

The preparations for the festival take another couple of weeks, longer than expected since the security became wary. Hanzo continues with his daily routine, Genji, as usual skips his classes and Jesse becomes more of a ghosts around, missing the thrill of missions and Hanzo’s voice.

However, things seem to take an unexpected turn the day of the festival.

“Aren’t you going to wear something different?” Genji asks, lifting his arms, playing with the long sleeves of his green _yukata_ with golden cranes embroidered across the fabric; he wears traditional socks and _zori_ , that made his pace slow; his hair is slick back, black eyeliner contouring his eyes, making them look bigger. To Jesse, he looks more like a young lord than ever.

 

Hair disheveled, damped red handkerchief around his neck and beige shirt stained with droplets of sauce, Jesse looks up at him with tired eyes.

“I don’t have one of those” he points the _yukata_ “. And I ain’t expected to be there.”

“My brother cares about his looks, you know?” Genji crouches next to him, poking his sides, grinning “, having you dressed up like that around him will offend him.”

Jesse rolls his eyes. “Is there something that doesn't offend your brother?” He pinches his own shirt “And I just told you, I don’t have fancy clothes, whaddya want from me?”

“I thought about that.” Genji holds the paper bags in front of the cowboy’s face “. You can use these.”

A bit reluctant, Jesse takes the bags and looks at the content. He arches his eyebrows, then looking up at Genji. “Where did you get them?”

“I borrowed them!” Genji shrugs “Now that you have clothes, you can assist.”

“Genji, I--” Jesse puts down the bags, rising on his soles “-- I don’t even know if I’m allowed to be inside the castle.” The gang has plans of going out, which, Jesse supposes, means they aren’t invited.

 

“Pleaaaase!” he insists, holding his hands together in front of his face “. You have to keep an eye on Hanzo anyway, this could help you to mingle among the crowd.”

 

Jesse purses his lips, calculating: that is the perfect excuse to dress up for the occasion. “Okay, but if your brother kicks me out--”

 

“Thank you!” he wraps his arms around Jesse on a tight hug. The young cowboy smiles and struggles with the urge to ruffle his hair..

 

“You are gettin’ your clothes dirty.”

 

“Eh, you are right” Genji backs off, smoothing the fabric with his hands; he fixes his hair and palms his cheeks before cracking a smile “. Father will get mad if I ruin my clothes again!”

 

They agree to meet later, after the ceremony is over. As Soijiro’s son, Genji is required to be present during the ceremony on the shrine--. _“There will be stands with food, traditional games, a parade across the streets and the night ends with fireworks. You will love it!”_ his joy is contagious, Jesse has to admit _“It’s the biggest celebration, along with my birthday.”_ Genji assures, cheeky as usual

 

Thankfully, by the moment he goes back to his room to get ready, the whole gang is already out. He wouldn’t be able to look at any member on the eye if they catch him wearing a _yukata_ . He could almost hear they laughs ringing on his ears _“Nice dress”_

 

Jesse ducks his head under the spray of water, focusing on the task; he washes thoroughly every corner of his body, dries with a soft clean towel before sliding his arms through the sleeves and try on the clothes. The first thing he notices is the sleeves are a bit short; that makes sense, Genji didn’t know his size.

 

After slicking his hair back --just as he saw Genji do-- and leave his hat behind --a bit reluctant-- he rushes to the main courtyard. Maybe he couldn’t be present, but definitely wanted to see what was so special about it.

 

* * *

 

 

People are already flooding the castle by the moment he comes out: women dressed in bright colorful yukatas, men wearing more sober colors, children mesmerized by the paper lamps hanging on the air, youngsters sipping soda and chatting along, elders observing the _sakura_ threes, open palms trying to catch fleeting pink petals that float on the air.  

 

Jesse was told that was the only time of the year the outsiders could enter the castle, and just as a friendly offer from the Shimadas towards the people of Hanamura. They knew it is important to keep up appearances, even when vast criminal empire they run is a badly kept secret. The people of Hanamura seems to play along. At some point, Jesse asked why they didn’t cancel the ceremony if Hanzo’s life had been threatened, the lord answered with a smile. _‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer’,_ he said.

 

“Maybe that’s why hanzo hasn’t kicked me out.” Jesse smirks, eyes narrowed, trying to find Genji. He fails, as there is too much people around. He sneaks out and climbs to the second ground, trying to get a better view of the shrine. There are a group of girls performing a dance around the bell, wearing a white _haori_ and a red _hakama_. They got long black hair, which reminds him of Hanzo; he wonders if the archer could dance like that.

 

The sound of light steps come to his ears, the same sound Genji’s _zori_ made. He slowly turns around, fearing it was a security guard, but finds Hanzo instead.

 

 _Breathtaking._ Jesse would later curse his limited vocabulary for not coming up with a word more refined to describe Hanzo’s look. The yukata is blue with a striking pattern of golden dragons dancing across the silky fabric, tie-cinched waist; braided long hair cascading over his shoulder, with a golden ornament on the end.

 

And those _cold_ , smoky eyes.

 

“Move.” Hanzo orders, his voice low, husky.

 

Jesse turns on his soles, stepping back against the wall as Hanzo advances; his skin briskles, perfume hangs on the air: white peach, musk and sandalwood. It triggers his pulse, make his eyes water.

 

The archer reaches the stairs and stops at the second step. Without looking at him, he speaks: “It used to be mine.”

 

“Eh?” Jesse blinks, eyes damp, heart pounding on his ears. “Wha--?”

 

“The _yukata_.”

 

There isn’t malice coating his words, not wicked intentions behind that statement, just a fact he decides to point at; he doesn’t even expect an answer. 

Just as fast as he appears, he leaves, before Jesse can say something, apologize... or pass out.

 

 

Jesse watches the rest of the ceremony from the second level of the castle. It takes him a while to move after meeting Hanzo, the encounter leaving him highly-strung, but he manages to drags his body to the front to see Hanzo once again.

It’s impossible not to notice the several eyes on him, not just young women but young men. Even with the Miko performing, the amount of young girls on flashy yukatas, most of eyes are still on Hanzo. He barely moves, looking regal, like a porcelain doll someone left there just to delight the audience. Soijiro seems to notice, takes proud of it -- _who wouldn’t?_ \-- and, as if he could read the audience’s mind, he settles a Hanzo’s shoulder, leans over and whispers something on his ear.

 

Hanzo’s lips twitch, slightly curving up; it barely last a second, but it’s enough to make Jesse’s stomach sink, warmth bubble on his core.

 

He wonders what is necessary to say to make Hanzo smile.

 

As the ceremony ends, people start to leave, flooding the colorful streets of Hanamura. Jesse feels tempted to go outside as well and enjoy the celebration, just as Genji suggested.

 

If it isn’t because Hanzo stays behind.

 

“Hey…” Jesse breaths, uncomfortably holding a hand on the air when he meets Hanzo. Just as the first time, when they met. He looks away when Hanzo looks back at him, the intensity of his look make his knees go weak. “The ceremony was nice...”

 

“It was.”

 

Hanzo walks past the courtyard, Jesse rushing behind him in completely silence; he notices Hanzo isn’t pushing him away, ,as if he completely gave up. If it’s because his father asked him to or because he simple got tired, Jesse can’t tell. They reach the wooden bridge and Hanzo starts climbing, rising a hand to boops one of the paper lanterns hanging from the ceiling, the orange light from the candle bathing his face.

 

“I thought you would go with Genji.”

 

“ _Ah_ , no, I--” Jesse blurts, scratches his head, looks around “-- I’m s’pposed to be with you.”

 

“You do not.”

 

“I _wanna_ be here.” He makes clear, no more stuttering, eyes fixed on Hanzo. He inhales, lifts his chin, and adds. “With you.”

 

He can’t read Hanzo’s expression; he couldn’t before and he certainly can’t do it now. The only few moments he happens to show any emotion is when he is mad, and he definitely isn’t mad right now. Heavy lidded eyes look at him under bushy eyebrows, nonchalantly, as if looking at one of the paper lanterns shaking with the breeze over their heads.

 

Jesse later would realize he was shaking.

 

“Up to you.” Hanzo breaths, turning around, resting his hands on the railing.

 

Jesse doesn’t move until the first whistle of firecrackers comes to his ears. Exploding outward in a spherical shape, stars streaming from the center, fireworks start to light up the sky.

 

“Oh!” he stands next to Hanzo, eyes wide open “Hell, look at those colours!”

 

“Have you never seen fireworks?”

 

“Ah.” Jesse squeezes his lips, hands closing around the railing “I have but, these are way prettier.” he side eyes the archer, meeting his eyes and regretting immediately. _Why_ did Hanzo need to use eyeliner? As if his eyes weren’t piercing enough. _“Really pretty.”_

 

Two words come to his ears, low enough to slip past the echo of a firecracker. Jesse blinks and slowly turns to face the archer, narrowed eyes.

 

“...I beg your pardon”?

 

Hanzo groans, eyes shut, head hanging. “I _said_ : I apologize.”

“... _what_?”

 

A hands fly to grab his arm, fast as an arrow, pulling him close enough for Hanzo to grit out on his face “Do not make me say it again.”

 

“I heard you! I heard you!” Jesse lets out a nervous laugh, shoulders shaking, warmth blooming on his chest. _He apologized_ . “I just-- don’t understand, where did that come from? Why are _you_ apologizin’?”

 

Hanzo lets him go and turning back to the railing. He takes a deep breath and exhales, no more shoulder slumped but relaxed. “For being ungrateful.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“... _oh?_ ” The archer furrows his brow, a hard look on his eyes. “Is that all you got to say?”

 

“I didn’t think you would apologize, that’s all.” Jesse restes his elbows on the railing, giving his back to the sky. “Does it means you don’t hate me anymore?”

 

“I hold no grudge against anyone.” Hanzo explains, fixing a lock of hair behind his ear. “If anything, I hold a debt.”

 

Jesse struggles with the laugh, afraid of offending the archer. That explained everything: it hasn’t been the fact that he saved him what offended Hanzo, but the idea of owning his life to someone.

 

Prideful indeed.

 

“A debt, huh?” Jesse scratches his chin, plays with the idea. If Hanzo pays his debt, they can go back to whatever-they-were on the first place. “What could I ask for?”

 

“I’ll let you know, that any belonging from the Shimada’s is out of question.”  Hanzo warns, making the cowboy laugh. “If it’s gold what you want--”

 

“I wouldn’t ask for any of your fancy stuff.” he rests his cheek on the palm of his hand, a smile on his face “Whatta ‘bout somethin’ that belongs entirely to you?”

 

Hanzo blinks. “What are you talking about?”

 

“A kiss.”  

Hanzo doesn’t even wince, staring blankly at the cowboy. The petition doesn’t take him off guard, not when he is used to have Jesse fluttering around him, fiddling around, almost desperate to get his attention. Jesse snorts, shaking his head, realizing there is no point on trying to play with the young lord.

 

“I’m jokin’.” he says --he lies--. It is impossible for him to play with Hanzo and it’s more likely for him to be played by Hanzo.

 

He realizes it too late.

 

A rustle of clothes -silky-, two light steps -right foot, left foot-, a gentle touch on his cheek -cold fingers, an index and a middle one-, the whistle of another firecracker.

 

Jesse doesn’t get to hear the _bang_ , his heart pounding so loud on his ears that he believes, for a frightening moment, he went completely deaf.

 

He doesn’t get to close his eyes either.

 

_Hanzo does._

 

A swirl of colorful figures light up the sky, flashing pink, purple and blue. He can tell, not because he is looking at the sky, but by the colors bathing Hanzo’s cheeks.

 

The kiss last less than five seconds, maybe just one. Later Jesse doubts it counted as a kiss. It’s more a caress, subtle, gentle as the touch of cherry blossoms petals, yet it manages to take his breath away.

 

Hanzo looks at him, heavy lidded, before turning around, leaving a visible shaken cowboy behind.

 

Jesse rests his back on the railing, slowly sitting on the wooden floor, face flushed, ears ringing, eyes stinging. The paper lantern swings over his head, the candle has been off for a while.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for taking so long, but editing takes a while :( -no betareader no life-  
> If anyone is still reading the fic I hope they enjoy this!
> 
> Find me on twitter as @possssum


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